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The world's youngest billionaires under 30
Forbes has come out with a list of the world's 20 youngest billionaires under 40. Here we carry eight billionaires under 30 who made their fortunes by virtue of inheritance and hard work.
With Goldman Sachs reportedly investing in social networking sensation Facebook at a valuation of $50 billion, the entry of Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz was a given.
Fahd Hariri of Lebanon who inherited his fortune from his father real estate and construction biz is the least richest in this category with a net worth of $1.5 billion according to Forbes.
Mark Zuckerberg -- thanks to the Goldman deal -- is the richest of this under-30 billionaire lot with an estimated net worth of $13.5 billion.
All ages are as of March 28, 2011.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
1. Dustin Moskovitz
Country: United States
Age: 26
Net worth: $2.7 billion
Dustin must be ruing his decision to quit his friend Mark Zuckerberg in 2008. Had he waited for a couple of years more his net worth could have been close to Zuckerberg's if not more.
Their friendship dates back to college days when the two quit dropped out midway to start their social networking sensation that today has more than 500 million registered users.
Dustin started his own software venture in 2008, Asana, that offers a platform to small companies and individuals to collaborate.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Country: United States
Age: 26
Net worth: $13.5 billion
Undoubtedly the richest of the lot Mark Zuckerberg Facebook is responsible for the recent uprisings scorching the Arab world from Tunisia to Libya.
While history will forever remember Facebook as harbinger of democracy in the Arab world what will also be remembered is the scorching pace with which Zuckerberg's wealth multiplied in just one year.
According to Forbes Zuckerberg's "fortune surged 238 per cent to $13.5 billion" in just over a year. And you know who Zuckerberg has to thank to for this huge jump in his net worth.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
3. Albert von Thurn und Taxis
Country: Germany
Age: 27
Net worth: $2 billion
Born on June 24, 1983, 27-year-old Albert von Thurn und Taxis was dislodged as the world's youngest billionaire by, who else but, Mark Zuckerberg in 2010.
But Albert has had the privilege of finding his name in the Forbes' list since he was 8 as a billionaire. Being a minor then he could actually find his place under the sun in 2001 when he turned 18.
Albert's "assets include real estate, art and a tech company, plus 30,000 hectares of woodland in Germany, one of the largest forest holdings in Europe," Forbes says.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
4. Scott Duncan
Country: United States
Age: 28
Net worth: $3.1 billion
Like Albert Scott Duncan too features in this list because of the wealth he inherited from his father.
Scott's father Dan Duncan owned a $12.4 billion pipeline which the former inherited after his father's death in March 2010, Forbes says.
Interestingly, Dan's was the textbook rags-to-riches story as he slowly built his pipeline empire beginning with just two trucks in 1968.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
5. Sean Parker
Country: United States
Age: 30
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Zuckerberg wasn't the only one who made money out of Facebook. Sean Parker who owns a little under 3 per cent of the stake in the company finds a place in this elite list.
Parker was the man who co-founded Napster -- the famous music sharing website that ran into legal trouble and finally filed for bankruptcy in 2002.
Currently Parker is a managing partner at a venture capital firm investing in tech companies.
Justin Timberlake played Parker in the recently released movie The Social Network.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
6. Yang Huiyan
Country: China
Age: 29
Net worth: $4.1 billion
When you happen to be the primary shareholder in one of China's largest property developer you are most certainly ensured a spot in this list or any other list for that matter!
Yang is the daughter of Yeung Kwok Keung, the chairman of Country Garden Holdings of Guangzhou, one of China's largest property developers.
With the property boom in China in 2010 and large tracts of land that it owns, the graph of Yang's wealth is heading north.
Yang is a gradate from the Ohio State University where she earned a degree in marketing and logistics.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
7. Fahd Hariri
Country: Lebanon
Age: 30
Net worth: $1.5 billion
In comparison to Parker the youngest son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri had it easy.
Fahd inherited stake in his father's conglomerate that spans telecom, real estate and the construction business.
Besides being on the board of Beirut's Future Television Network that his father started back in the '90s Nazek who essentially lives in Paris is also said to have residences in France, Russia and Europe.
The world's youngest billionaires under 30
8. Eduardo Saverin
Country: United States
Age: 29
Net worth: $1.6 billion
Facebook's website has a bio of him as being one of the site's cofounders. Eduardo Saverin used to be Zuckerberg's best friend at Harvard and had a 30 per cent stake in the company till relationship between the two soured.
It began with Facebook suing Saverin for interfering with business and for allegedly insisting on keeping the 30 per cent stake.
While Saverin countersued an out of court settlement was reached where he reportedly settled for about 5 per cent of the stake in the company.